CALGARY, Alberta, March 17, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — Lawyers for Canadian Pastor James Coates said that it was through back-and-forth negotiations with the Crown prosecutor that an agreement was made to get him out of jail, without him having to promise to abide by “unscientific and unconstitutional health orders” which “violate” his freedom of conscience and religion.
Coates had been in jail for several weeks after opening his church to more worshipers than the Alberta provincial government allowed.
“Our team of lawyers was in discussions with the Crown prosecutor’s office and several of the lawyers on our team have extensive criminal law experience, which, you know, a year ago may not have been as relevant, it’s certainly extremely helpful today with the way the circumstances are turning out,” said John Carpay, President of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms.
“We’ve got very strong criminal law expertise on the legal team,” Carpay told LifeSiteNews. “So, these were negotiations with the Crown prosecutor’s office, and the agreement was negotiated to get Pastor Coates out of jail without having to make a promise for him to abide by unscientific and unconstitutional health orders that violate his freedom of conscience, religion, association, and peaceful assembly.”
The remainder of this article is available in its entirety at LifeSite News
The views expressed in this news alert by the author do not directly represent that of The Official Street Preachers or its editors